The invention is concerned with a target and while the target of the invention may be employed as a target for a variety of weapons, the target is particularly suitable for use as an archery target, in which connection the invention is described hereinafter.
Although some archery targets have been formed or constructed in various ways and from a variety of materials, the most common archery targets currently in use are formed of straw or similar materials. Conventional straw targets have a number of disadvantages including the fact that they are very heavy and are subject to rotting when exposed to the weather and are also subject to deterioration as a result of infestation by insects.
As commonly constructed, such targets are formed of matted masses of straw which are built up to form the target, a typical target being of the order of 3 feet in diameter. Targets built up in this manner are bulky, heavy and awkward to transport, package or ship.
In addition to the foregoing, the conventional form of target is a unitary or monolithic structure, and for this reason does not have a high degree of wear resistance, and thus also has a short life. Scoring considerations commonly result in much more numerous strikes in the central area of the target than in the other areas, so that the central area wears and weakens quite rapidly and at a much higher rate than the other areas of the target.
Certain targets have also been made of materials other than straw or the like, for instance certain resin type materials in the form of layers or plies of fabrics, foam and/or panels. In many of these prior forms of targets, the system for absorbing the energy of the arrows comtemplates deflection of panel type of elements, at least in a portion of the depth or thicknes of the target, and particularly in the region of the back face of the target, thereby preventing penetration of the target by the arrows. In other examples of these resin targets, the energy absorption system utilizes penetrable fabric or foam layers, or both. Although targets of these types constructed of resin materials have certain advantages as compared with the conventional straw targets, for instance improved weather resistance, nevertheless they have not been widely accepted for a number of reasons, including the fact that the energy absorption systems utilized have been highly impractical or inefficient, with consequent necessity for the use of excessive quantities of the resin materials.
With the foregoing in mind, the present invention contemplates the provision of a target of basically different structure according to which various of the disadvantages of the prior targets are eliminated. The target of the present invention may weigh only a small fraction of the weight of a conventional straw target and even considerably less than prior targets formed of resin materials. Moreover, the target of the invention may be formed of materials which are virtually rot and vermin proof regardless of exposure to the weather.
In contrast to prior art targets, the target of the present invention is made up of a multiplicity of plies of what are referred to herein as "membranes", at least some of the membranes being spaced from each other by intervening layers of porous material, the membranes being penetrable by the arrows cast at the target and being formed of elastomeric or resilient and tear resistant sheet resin material having self-healing properties. In this construction, each of the multiplicity of membranes provide for development of a sleeve or annulus of the sheet material of the membrane surrounding the aperture produced by the penetration of an arrow, which sleeve because of the elastomeric characteristic of the sheet material snuggly engages the side wall or shaft of the arrow, thereby frictionally absorbing energy. The use of the porous spacing layers between membranes accommodates the formation of the sleeves referred to. This multiple membrane construction provides a highly efficient energy absorption system and thus provides for great reduction in the weight of materials used.
In contrast to various prior art targets employing the principle of panel deflection in order to absorb the energy of the arrow, the penetrable membrane arrangement of the present invention absorbs the energy by frictional engagement of the arrow shaft by the sleeves of the membrane material surrounding the apertures caused by the penetration. For applicant's purposes, it is important that the penetration occur and that panels, backing layers or target supports which are not penetrable should not be present, even at the back face of the target. The importance of this will be understood when it is kept in mind that typical arrows are 28 inches long, having 20 inches of free shaft available for sleeve sliding friction to absorb energy. Therefore, targets according to the invention may be constructed in a manner permitting penetration of the target even to an extent where the arrows project from the rear face.
In addition to providing a basically new and efficient system for energy absorption in the target, it is a further object of the invention to provide a target which may readily be assembled from components or sections which are capable of being interchanged so as to multiply the useful center life of the target by at least three.
The target of the invention is made up of elements and sections which are readily assembled and disassembled, so that when it is desired to move the target from one location to another it is not necessary to transport it in assembled condition. Moreover, the sectional construction of the target of the invention and the collapsible construction of the target stand provide for compact packaging of both the target and the stand in a common package for convenient shipping, even by parcel delivery services.